Through
my various messages on the subject, you are fully aware of the fact that these
talks have gone beyond the preliminary stage and that they are now well within
the realm of the "real thing". It is true that at the time the Konoye
statement was dispatched, the negotiations were more or less conducted as
preliminary to a meeting of "the leaders". However, for all practical
purposes, the talks had gone beyond the point where they could be termed as
being of a "preliminary" nature. By that time, we had centered all of
our efforts toward bringing about a speedy termination of the talks. That has
been made perfectly clear. I feel sure that the United States too, regardless
of what they may have said, recognized this fact from a realistic point of
view.

It
is true that the United States may try to say that since we made no particular
mention of the changed status of the talks, they were under the impression that
they were still of a preliminary nature.

Whatever
the case may be, the fact remains that the date set forth in my message #736*
is an absolutely immovable one. Please, therefore, make the United States see
the light, so as to make possible the signing of the agreement by that date.

24834

JD-1: 6531(D) Navy Trans. 11-15-41 (S-TT)

*JD-1: 6254 (S.I.S. #24373)

(EXHIBITS
OF JOINT COMMITTEE , EXHIBIT NO. 1 INTERCEPTED DIPLOMATIC MESSAGES SENT BY THE
JAPANESE GOVERNMENT BETWEEN JULY l AND DECEMBER 8, 1941)